This is the longest chapter of Werewolves of Sinnoh thus far, at nearly nine thousand words. It was a satisfying one to write, I'd say. It's from Mayor Lumine's perspective, too, which is one I enjoyed writing.
To everyone who has supported this story so far: It means the world to me, it really does. To have so many people reading from so many different countries is quite gratifying. Enjoy the antepenultimate (third to last) chapter!
ELIOT LUMINE
At first, when I was elected Mayor, not much changed. Even if I had been bestowed with a new, powerful office, the fact remained that I was still Eliot Lumine, the son of a previous Mayor. It would be some time before people saw me as Mayor in my own right.
In addition, I was still in my early twenties, and I was still madly in love with Emaire Robinhood. Neither of those things would change any time soon.
Of course, there were certain events that formalized just how drastically my life would be different. For one, I had to fill out a lot of paperwork in order to affirm that I was mentally fit for office, that I had no conflicts of interest, etc. The mountain of paperwork made the forms I'd filled out to file for office look like a molehill by comparison.
Finally, it was all over, and I was officially Mayor of Lycan Hollow. On some level, it was rather exhilarating to have such a powerful position, but it was also very nerve-wracking. Everybody would expect nothing but the very best from me, because when you mess up in a small town, there's nowhere to hide.
I didn't have to move homes when I was elected, because I already lived in the Big House. Emaire, as my close partner in life, continued to live with me; there was no sign that we'd be breaking up anytime soon.
Indeed, I knew we were meant for each other. I knew this just as well as I knew the sky was blue, or that two plus two equals four. I was completely confident that our relationship would last until one of us kicked the bucket.
Despite how much I loved Emaire, I didn't see the need to get married. We could have gotten a marriage license here for a small fee, just like my parents had done, but neither of us really felt like it. Our relationship could never be summed up with a sheet of paper; our love was too primal to put into words.
I kept in close contact with my parents; on occasion, I would go to my father for advice. Every time, he would answer the same way.
"I don't know what advice I can give you, Eliot," he would tell me. "You're not the same Lycanroc as I am, so your governing style might be completely different. If so, I'm not going to interfere."
After that, we always had a few minutes of small talk about how my parents' new life in Hoenn was going, how my relationship with Emaire was progressing, about the differences in climate between Hoenn and Sinnoh…you get the gist. Then, one of us would hang up, and we'd go back to our separate lives.
My office moved into the mayor's room at the Village Hall. It wasn't much different from the other rooms, although the desk was slightly bigger. At first, I could have fooled myself into thinking that my job would be more relaxing now; the desk's chair did recline quite a bit. Of course, this thought would turn out to be foolish.
Being Mayor required me to listen in on almost every meeting of the village council. It required me to be attentive; I would write down much of what was discussed at said meetings. And, last but not least, it required me to ask questions.
That last part was an underrated aspect of having such a high office. You need to be the one with the answers, of course; during hard times, the villagers look to you for guidance. But sometimes, you don't know what your constituents are thinking, so you need to ask questions. It's not so much about asking a lot of questions; it's more about asking the right ones.
Every evening, I would return to the Big House from the Village Hall. Since it was still summer when I became Mayor, we would usually have dinner on the porch for the first few weeks.
"How was your first day as Mayor?" I remember a certain magenta-furred Lycanroc asking me once I'd gotten back for the first time after a long day's work.
"This is harder than I thought" I replied, taking a sip of soda water with a splash of cranberry juice (trust me, it's more appetizing than it sounds!) "I didn't know just how much this job entailed."
Emaire frowned at me. "I thought you did know that; at least, you would have researched it before you actually ran, right?"
"I thought it would be easier. I was naive, but I'm not going to quit. The villagers put their trust in me, and I'm not going to squander it."
Neither of us voiced this aloud, but I think we both came to understand the reason why my father had retired so early. Suddenly it felt like I had the world on my shoulders, just like that mythological Titan Atlas.
Our conversations seldom lasted very long. It was easy to get lost in the scrumptious food Emaire had cooked up for us; ever since I'd begun running for Mayor, she had honed her skills a little more each day. She had by no means been a bad cook before this, but I started to wonder if she'd been a gourmet chef in a past life. Maybe she would be one later in this life once I retired as Mayor.
How sad is it, I thought to myself, that I'm only a day into my new job and I'm already looking forward to retirement? Like, seriously, I'm only 22 years old!
It was during one of our dinners on the porch, when we were looking out at the lake, that we got into our first real argument. The day was going to come eventually, of course; no relationship can be without conflict forever. But it was still pretty jarring when it actually happened.
"Look, Emaire. I know you want to spend more time with me, but this is my job. We still have the evenings and mornings to talk!"
"Well, you're looking over your paperwork for much of the time when you're at home!" she retorted, sounding annoyed rather than angry. "I love you to death, Eliot, but you have to put effort into our relationship too!"
"Again, it's my job. Trust me, I'd love to have more free time, but that's not what I signed up for."
"What if we have kids? Will our children grow up only knowing their father as the Mayor, or will they know him as their dad?"
We didn't think about having children very often. Eventually we probably would, just like many couples did, but we were still young; there was plenty of time to think it over and make an informed decision.
I had to think on my feet as I answered; Emaire clearly expected a quick one.
"They'll know me as both. I'll be their father, the best father I can be, but I'll also be seen as the hardworking Mayor who keeps the village safe. I'm fine wearing both hats, as it were."
"Very well," Emaire replied. "How was your day before this?"
That question was the signal I needed to know that our argument was over. It hadn't done much damage to our relationship, if any at all; it was just surprising to me that it had even happened.
The next morning, I woke up rather early, leaving the house before Emaire had even risen from bed. The sun hadn't risen yet, and as I walked down the path to the Village Hall, I kept looking over my shoulder, half expecting a supervisor to tell me that it was too early for this.
And then, of course, I remembered that I had no supervisor. I held the highest office in all of Lycan Hollow; if I was too early to work, then there would be no one to point it out.
It was that moment, I think, that really made me realize the gravity of my job. Unlike in some larger cities, the Mayor of Lycan Hollow didn't have any significant checks on his or her power. This meant that if I stepped out of line, nobody would be able to hold me accountable.
I'm not going to let that happen. No matter what, I would never abuse my power, even if I had a devil on my shoulder.
There was something rather pleasant about being out in the early morning. The air somehow felt fresher, perhaps because nobody else had been breathing it yet. In addition, the sometimes-oppressive summer heat had yet to manifest itself.
That morning, in spite of my epiphany that I was alone at the top of the pecking order, I truly felt exhilarated. I was very happy to be living my best life, and I was confident that things would only get better from here.
It didn't last.
"Okay, Mayor Lumine, I've set up the video conferencing system for you."
That was one of the Town Councilors speaking, showing me how to work the software on my new computer. It was the fastest one in the village, but like all new models of computer, it had a slight learning curve.
"You can just call me Eliot '' I told the councilor. "I'm the Mayor, not the King. Although you did call me Mayor…you know what? Forget it."
The councilor frowned. "I'll call you by your title, if that's okay. It's what I grew used to while your father was Mayor. How is he, by the way?"
I smiled. "He's doing quite all right. After last winter, he really needed the warmer climate in Hoenn. But enough about that; I'll get to work right away."
One of the many responsibilities that came with the mayoralty was to negotiate trade deals with other municipalities within Sinnoh. Most of the time, this job was boring, but it wasn't necessarily unpleasant. It's a hard reality of life that sometimes you have to complete mind-numbing tasks, but the immense amount of paperwork had prepared me for that aspect.
The call I was on that afternoon, however, was something I could not have been prepared for.
The mayor of Sunyshore City, the closest thing that passed for a seaside resort city in Sinnoh, was on the other end of the video conference. He was probably in his mid-fifties, with spiky, graying hair and a long, narrow face. Sometimes, people compared him to an elderly alien, which didn't seem all that flattering.
I'd never spoken to Mayor Springdale before, but he spoke to me like I was an old friend of his. It didn't hurt that the flag of Sunyshore City behind him (which contained two bands of navy blue and dark red, as well as a sky blue triangle with a yellow circle on it) was a thing of beauty.
Mayor Springdale was very friendly towards me, and, as weird as this might sound, that made me worry. From what my father had said during his own term as Mayor, Phil Springdale wasn't normally warm and friendly unless he was trying to "butter you up" before delivering bad news.
"Good afternoon, Mayor Lumine. It's nice to see your face; I have learned so much about you, and I'm impressed."
I tried not to blush at that compliment, but it was hard. Very hard.
"Is there something depressing you wanted to tell me?" I blurted out. I wasn't able to stop myself from doing so.
Springdale grimaced. "What made you think that?"
Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps he's just going to congratulate me for becoming Mayor at such a young age. Perhaps there was never anything to worry about.
If that was the case, though, it certainly didn't look like it. When I didn't respond, Springdale's expression turned into one that could not be mistaken for anything else.
It said: I am so, so sorry.
"Okay, something must be wrong" I replied, hearing the anxiety creep into my voice. "No offense, but you wouldn't be so friendly otherwise. And your face is giving it away, too."
Mayor Springdale gave a deep sigh on the other end, and then he responded with a slight nod.
"I'm afraid I do have unfortunate news," Sunyshore City's Mayor said, sounding as though he were on the edge of tears.
"Spit it out," I said. "I just want to get it over with. Whatever it is, I can handle it."
Mayor Springdale's eyes drooped, and this was another cue for me to worry. He didn't normally show this much emotion; at least, if my father's words were anything to go by.
"The Illusionary appear to be beefing up their army for an attack on Lycan Hollow" Springdale told me through tearful eyes. "That's what our intelligence is telling us, at any rate."
My mind began casting around for any other explanation, any reason why this might not be the case. "But intelligence can be wrong, right? How often does that happen, though?"
If I'd been holding out hope that Mayor Springdale's information was faulty, his facial expression dampened it almost immediately. He appeared increasingly pained with every second, as though it were ripping him into pieces to tell me this.
"It can be wrong," he responded. "But it's very rare. I suggest that you help Lycan Hollow build up its defenses. Just in case they decide to attack, you'll thank me later for the suggestion."
"Oh, trust me, I'm thanking you now" I replied, probably sounding a bit too gung-ho about it. My voice was most likely too enthusiastic to be seen as sincere, and there was a reason for this.
Why couldn't he have left me in blissful ignorance? If I could have been kept from knowing what was happening, that's what I'd want. It would be better not to know.
Then I reminded myself that if I wasn't the one who needed to bring the unwelcome news to the Village Council, someone else would have to do it. And, as much as I would hate this task, who would be more equipped for it than the Mayor?
"You're very much welcome, Mayor Lumine," Mayor Springdale told me. "We will transfer some funding from Sunyshore City to Lycan Hollow; it is vitally important that your village be defended, since it is the largest settlement in Sinnoh that's almost entirely Lycanroc and Rockruff."
It felt good to hear Springdale pay lip service, even if that's all it was. After all, isn't the first step to fixing a problem acknowledging that you have the problem in the first place?
After I got off the call, however, I realized yet another downside to being Mayor. It was the flipside of one of the perks, which was that I was the top dog (or top Lycanroc) in the village. Unfortunately, as some would say, every rose has its thorn.
I realized that being at the top was rather lonely. It wasn't just that everyone would be scared to be friends with me; truth be told, friendship wasn't the most important duty of mine as Mayor.
No, the real problem was that I had nobody to turn to when I was confused. There wasn't anyone who could give me advice, because I was seen as the man with all the answers. I was the one who had to advise others, and I started to gain a better understanding of what it meant to have the world on one's shoulders.
I was jerked out of my reverie by Commissioner Henry, who, as it turned out, was right outside the door to my office. He looked friendly enough, but I hadn't yet shaken the nerves that came along whenever it was time to talk to him; he had, after all, been the one to pronounce my electoral fate that important evening some weeks prior.
"How did the call go?" he asked me as he walked into my office. I didn't protest against him entering; again, I still felt like I was his inferior.
"It went well enough, I guess."
Commissioner Henry gave me a stare that could not be construed as anything other than the following: Please don't bullshit me.
"Fine. I talked with Phil Springdale about the Illusionary clan. They really might try to invade."
To my surprise, Commissioner Henry didn't seem all that worried. His words, too, suggested that he felt confident I could keep the village secure.
"Well, if they do come along, you'll be able to manage the threat! I will say, Mayor Lumine…".
"Call me Eliot, please."
"Eliot, I have the utmost trust in your leadership. I truly believe you can handle any crisis that comes your way, because youth does not always mean ineptitude."
There's a difference between winning an election and actually governing. That's what I was tempted to say, but forced myself not to.
"Anyway! Let's talk about something happier" Commissioner Henry said after a long silence. "How is Emaire doing? Are you guys going to get married soon?"
"She doesn't see the need" I replied. "And quite frankly, neither do I. When you love each other so much, there's really no need for formalities."
"A rather unorthodox approach, but to each their own."
After a bit more small talk, during which time I wasn't quite able to get the news about the Illusionary clan out of my mind (although, to be fair, I didn't really try), I excused myself, telling Commissioner Henry that I had to leave. It was earlier than work normally ended for me, but I made the rules, didn't I?
"You're home early" Emaire told me once I arrived back at the Big House. "Did something go wrong?"
I was tempted to tell her that nothing was wrong, that everything was going to be okay. I was tempted to let her know simply that I'd given myself a few extra hours, because that's what Mayors were allowed to do.
But I also knew that she deserved the truth.
"I had a conference call with the Mayor of Sunyshore City," I told her. "And the news isn't good, I'm afraid."
I relayed everything Springdale had told me. Emaire Robinhood might not have been a government official, and therefore might not need to know this information, but I saw no good reason to keep it from her.
Emaire's jaw dropped by the end of it. "So they're going to attack us?" she asked me, eyes widening with worry.
"I didn't say they were going to attack us. I don't know."
"But they're adding more troops to their military. Why else would they be doing that if they didn't mean to invade?"
I sighed. "I don't know. I truly don't. But let's try not to focus on the things we can't control. I promised the village that I'd be the best damn mayor in its history, and I intend to keep that promise."
A few years passed, during which time I settled into my new role as Mayor of Lycan Hollow. It was remarkable just how easily I could adapt; the first few weeks had been overwhelming, but after that, not so much.
The threat from the Illusionary clan did not materialize during this time. It wasn't for lack of opportunity, though; I had conference calls about every week with various Mayors in Sinnoh, telling me that they would do their best to help defend the village. We also gained further evidence that the Zoroarks were indeed building up their military capability.
Again, though, nothing really happened on this front. It was almost unnerving how quiet it seemed, as though it meant that the Illusionary clan might go after us at any moment. Certainly, they had the ability to go after us, but for some reason they were choosing not to.
On many occasions, I wondered if they were waiting deliberately to catch us off guard. They'd want us to believe that the attack would never happen so that we became complacent; that way, when it did happen, we wouldn't be prepared for it.
My personal life was inextricably linked to my public life. If I'd been a public figure while merely running for Mayor, everything paled in comparison to the attention I received once I actually held the office. No matter how much I wanted privacy, I would not be able to achieve it; of this I grew increasingly convinced every day.
I'm not saying there were cameras everywhere, but when Pokemon would see me in the "streets" of Lycan Hollow, they'd often ask if Emaire and I had any plans to have children. I didn't see how pertinent this question was to my role as Mayor, but I received it many times over the course of the next three years.
What I wouldn't tell them is that Emaire and I had both decided we wanted children. It might be selfish to bring a Rockruff pup into this world when our village might be invaded at any moment, but nobody's selfless all the time.
Try as we might, however, Emaire wasn't able to conceive. Perhaps she was simply infertile. It could be that her own body was telling her not to have kids, for the reason stated above.
At a certain point, both of us gave up on having children. Getting our hopes up, only for them to be dashed when she simply would not conceive, wasn't productive; it would only make us feel worse in the end.
"No matter what happens", I told her after we made this decision, "I will always love you. Thank you so much for being by my side since we were eighteen."
"Awww, thank you as well" Emaire responded, nuzzling my chest with her snout.
As of this moment, both of us were twenty-five years old. We were still a young couple, younger than most Lycanroc had children, but so much had already changed since we'd first gotten together. Not just in terms of our biology or neurology, either; the outside world was radically different for both of us.
What had remained constant, however, was the adoration we held for each other. It might have taken a different form, from the rabid attraction of teenagers to the more mature love of adults, but it was still love nonetheless.
Make no mistake about it: While Emaire and I loved each other very much, our lives weren't exactly idyllic. We had our arguments like any other couple, but they were mostly about minor things like whose turn it was to unload the dishwasher. When it came time to make decisions on what was truly important, we were in sync.
One day that fall, I found myself in the office once again. Just like many other days, I had arrived there earlier than I needed to, but that was just fine with me. I liked having some time to myself, because there was so much to think about.
Of course, I still had work to do. Even when I wasn't on a conference call with another government official, there were many emails that needed to be responded to, papers to be filed, and other mundane tasks that simply needed to be performed. It wasn't flashy, but it was very much necessary.
After an hour or two, I started to wonder why nobody else was at the Village Hall. I'd been quite early, yes, but surely someone would have gotten here by now. Surely I'd have some company in the form of a town councilor, wondering why I hadn't taken some time to sleep in.
This is so weird. At a time when the village may or may not be on the edge of crisis, what's the deal?
Eventually, my computer's "phone" rang, inviting me to a conference call. It wasn't from any other Sinnoh Mayor, however; it was from Commissioner Henry. Desiring answers, I clicked the "ANSWER" button.
"Hello?" I asked.
The image of Commissioner Pete Henry appeared on my screen. Although most Lycanroc had white fur, Henry's appeared paler than usual. In addition, he was clutching his stomach.
"Hello, Eliot. I just wanted to clarify the reason that we're not at the Village Hall today. You've probably noticed by now that you're the only one there."
"Uh…yeah" I replied, wondering why the Commissioner's voice was so weak. It appeared as though every word he spoke was an effort; was he sick?
"Well, the other town councilors held a potluck dinner at my house. I'm sorry that you weren't invited."
"Why not?" I all but cried, not caring if I sounded like a whiny little pup. It was a major betrayal, in my view, for them to hold such an event and not even tell me about it. I would have loved to dine with the other councilors.
"Why didn't you invite me?" I repeated when the Commissioner didn't answer. "It really hurts."
"My stomach hurts too," Commissioner Henry responded, burping. "In case you couldn't tell, we all got food poisoning there; I think it was from the potato salad. So you should probably be glad you didn't come."
Perhaps that's karma for not inviting me. I didn't say that out loud, but I was tempted to believe it.
Just then, the Commissioner's stomach could be heard churning, and he clamped a paw over his mouth. "I've gotta run!"
I ended the call there, since I didn't really need to hear Commissioner Henry throwing up or having severe gastrointestinal distress in the other direction. Once I'd gotten off the conference, I turned around in my swivel chair and looked at the pictures on the shelf.
Just like the other councilors, I'd decorated my office with a number of items. I had a photo of myself and Emaire by the lake's edge, as well as a photo of a cake she'd made for my most recent birthday. I didn't see any need to replace them with wedding photos, since we still had no intention of actually marrying.
Looking at photos of Emaire made me feel rather guilty for having, yet again, left the Big House before she even woke up. I knew how much she liked to say goodbye to me in the morning, and say hello again in the evening.
She was a substitute teacher at the local school, but on days when she didn't teach, she'd just stay at home, reading. She could be quite the bookworm sometimes.
I failed her, I thought to myself as I looked at her picture again. I failed her so much today. And "fail" implies that I even TRIED, but I didn't try at all. I simply left home without a second thought.
As it would later turn out, I would end up failing her in a far bigger way. I might not have known this yet, but it would be one of the defining moments of my life, and not in a good way.
It was about a week before the rest of the town council could return to work. Whatever had gone wrong with the potato salad, it must have been a pretty serious bug, because I could still smell the vomit on their breath when they came back from their sick days.
"We're all fine," one of the councilors assured me. "We haven't had any symptoms for over a day."
That's what they told me, but Murphy's Law had to rear its ugly head. By the end of the following day, I was as sick as I could ever remember being. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say the following: It was ugly, not something I would have wished on my worst enemy. Not even the Illusionary clan.
Speaking of the Illusionary clan, I was back in my office after a few days' convalescence when Commissioner Henry approached me during one of my conference calls.
I held up one of my claws so that the Commissioner would know that it needed to wait, but when I looked at his expression, as well as his body language, I knew that Pete Henry believed his matter to be an urgent one.
"I'll call you guys back later, I have something to attend to" I told the Mayors of Jubilife and Coronet Cities. I then hung up from the call and pushed my swivel chair backwards.
"This had better be really freaking important, because I'm missing out on a video conference!" I exclaimed, somewhat irritably.
"Trust me, it is," Commissioner Henry replied, a certain gravity in his voice. "I wouldn't be taking you off the call otherwise."
"Spill the beans, then" I told the Commissioner. "What is so urgent that it needs to be dealt with now?"
"I first want to preface by expressing my deepest regrets that we spread the food poisoning to you. Who knew that it was contagious?"
Uh, I dunno, literally any infectious disease doctor worth their salt?
"Anyway, I'll admit that this isn't the main reason. It seems that the Illusionary clan has used our illnesses as an opportunity to expand their territory. It's believed that there may now be guards in the forest between our village and their base, so I'd advise everyone who enters the woods to do so with extreme caution. It's only to be done if absolutely necessary."
I gulped. "I'll send out that advisory right away."
"A very good idea, I'd say," Commissioner Henry responded. "And I highly recommend you follow your own advice; you're more than likely their top target, and we can't afford to lose you. Nobody here is expendable, but especially not the Mayor."
Although I'd hardly ever left Lycan Hollow in my life, it needs to be said that I'd never felt trapped there. The option to leave had always been there for me, and besides, I loved the village to death. But now that it would be unsafe to travel further afield, I did feel somewhat trapped.
It's for my own safety, I reminded myself. But that didn't exactly make me feel better.
We put the advisory out to the village, having it air on all of their televisions and radios. There was no clearer method of telling the people to avoid the forest unless it absolutely could not be avoided.
There was some backlash to the announcement. Every so often, a villager would come up to me, show their fangs, and my heart would practically skip a beat. Fortunately, I was never physically attacked, but it was easy to see that said villager wasn't exactly happy with me.
I knew that the anger wasn't really directed at me; it was directed at the situation at large. I think that most of Lycan Hollow's residents knew that I had their best interests at heart; or, at least, they believed that.
Rarely did I have doubts that I was doing the right thing, but on one or two nights, as I lay awake in bed thinking about the potential invasion of the Illusionary clan, I wondered if closing down the woods was an advisable course of action.
Perhaps we should have our own troops there, I thought. But this never came to fruition; I believed, perhaps stupidly, that it would be too risky to send out our own "soldiers." The last thing I wanted was random skirmishes in the woods.
It was during times like these that I truly felt like the world was on my shoulders. I wouldn't have been surprised if some of my fur turned silver from the stress and relative lack of sleep.
All of the measures described above were meant to avert a tragic event. Although we wanted to defend ourselves against the Zoroarks, the fact remained that most of us didn't want to see any harm befall them. We didn't want them to suffer any unnecessary losses; Lycan Hollow's residents were nothing if not empathetic, even gentle.
Eventually, however, tragedy would find me.
Over the next several months, I grew increasingly restless. I would pace back and forth in my office whenever I had some time away from the video conferences and mountains of paperwork. I would even find time to pace when I was supposed to be working, which I can imagine irritated the other councilors.
Of course, who were they going to complain to? I was their boss, after all. As you can imagine, it was both liberating and daunting to have so much power and prestige.
My restlessness was also, clearly, having an effect on Emaire. The office wasn't the only place I would pace, and as nice as the Big House was, it was also an old house. This meant that the floor would creak often when I stepped on it too forcefully.
"Would you cut that out?" Emaire asked me more than once. On these occasions, I would invariably take a break from walking back and forth, and she would go back to whatever she'd been doing. This wouldn't last forever, though; eventually my restlessness would return, often more forcefully than it had first presented itself.
Once autumn faded into winter, the massive snowstorms Central Sinnoh was known for started to return. There were days when I couldn't even make the short journey to the Village Hall, because there was simply that much snow. On numerous occasions, I had to work from home, which only amplified my cabin fever.
During this time, my relationship with Emaire suffered. We weren't remotely close to getting divorced (or rather, breaking up, since we were never officially married.) However, there was quite a bit of strain placed upon it. It seemed that we'd had too much of each other for the time being.
When the power went out (which happened from time to time during the winter) things were even worse between us. While we tried as much as possible to respect one another, never to raise our voices, it wasn't exactly easy to do so when we were both sick of being cooped up in this house.
Despite our close proximity to one another, we would sometimes go for more than a day without speaking. It's not because we hated each other (far from it), but rather because we both understood that the other needed some space.
When springtime arrived, both of us were extremely grateful. On some level, it felt like we were both waking up from a bad dream, which was a huge relief.
Of course, I did have to go into the office most days. I took this as a good thing, because it meant that Emaire and I could have some physical distance, even if we weren't emotionally distant from one another. One day, however, she decided that we'd had enough separation, and it was time to do something together just like the old days.
"Why don't we go for a hike?" she asked me, eyes wide with mild excitement. "It's a beautiful day, and besides, you're the Mayor. You're allowed to take days off."
I was a bit skeptical at first, but then Emaire explained the route she had in mind, which avoided the forest almost entirely, and I warmed myself up to the idea.
"Let's do it."
I called the other commissioners to let them know I was taking a mental health day, and then Emaire and I packed the essentials for the hike. We would climb the mountain nearest the lake, which would no doubt offer spectacular views of both the lake and the village. It wouldn't be terribly long or strenuous, but it would still be invigorating.
It was the type of day that would stay "gold forever" in one's mind for the rest of their life. If I didn't know just how disastrously this hike would end up going, I would have likely seen it as one of the best days imaginable.
The sun was shining at just the right intensity. It was still somewhat chilly, the woods having only just awoken after the long winter, but we would warm up quickly on the hike. For a while, I had myself convinced that nothing could go wrong.
Emaire seemed to believe this too. With every minute that passed on the trail, some of her worries seemed to fade. While I can't speak for her, I can speak for myself, and it seemed to me like she was reminding me more and more of the Emaire Robinhood I'd fallen in love with in the first place.
The hike was harder than I'd thought it would be, which may have only been because I wasn't used to hiking. The trail was rather poorly kept; there were many spots where the path was overgrown with branches from any number of bushes. I made a mental note to order the trail cleared once I got back to work.
Once we were above the section with all the bushes, we were able to see that the wildflowers were in full bloom. There were dandelions, roses, lupine, and many other species that I couldn't name on my own. Emaire went back to her old habit of telling me what each flower was called, where it grew, and what sorts of Pokemon and other animals ate it.
By the time we reached the summit, it was still midmorning. The trail was steep, but it was also rather short as hiking trails go. From this vantage point, we could see for what felt like forever.
"Look at that view!" Emaire exclaimed, pointing off towards the horizon.
On one side, the side we hadn't climbed up, forests and meadows stretched out for as far as the eye could see. There were also a number of gently rolling hills, with clear streams running through the evergreen trees. There were a number of mountains in the distance, too.
"I've lived here all my life. But I'd never fully appreciated how beautiful this mountain range is. And do you want to know what the best part is?" I asked, putting one of my front legs over Emaire's shoulder.
"What is that, Eliot?"
"I get to experience it with you. Let's just savor every last second here, because not everyone is as lucky as we are. Indeed, very few are."
Emaire nodded sadly. "Sometimes it feels like we have it bad, but at least we have the mountains. How sad is it that so many people have never seen mountains before?"
We talked on and on for several minutes as we sat down on the rock, allowing our bodies to be warmed by the sun. It truly felt as though we were on the top of the world; there were higher mountains, of course, but this was the top of our world.
"Look over there" Emaire breathed, suddenly sounding a lot less happy to be up here.
I did as I was told; I glanced in the direction where she was pointing, and I saw it.
"That's Mount Dominion, isn't it? The Illusionary clan's base?"
Emaire nodded. "Of course, both of us already know about the threat they pose. It's just a stark reminder that, as stunning as the Coronet Range is, it does hold its own secrets."
The particular mountain Emaire had pointed out was the tallest one in view. While many of these mountains were capped in snow, since it was still springtime, Mount Dominion held the largest glacier of all of them. It seemed to stretch halfway down the mountain.
"I hope we never go to war with them, Eliot" she told me, fear evident in her voice. "It's not just because I don't want to die."
"Emaire, you're not going to die in such a war. I'm the Mayor, and you're my…well, not wife, but domestic partner! You're far from the first person they'd go after."
"I know, but I don't want anything to happen to the Illusionary clan either. I don't want to fight against them."
"They'd gladly destroy this village without a second thought, Emaire" I replied bitterly.
"That doesn't mean they deserve destruction, Eliot! I just want this all to be resolved peacefully. This is the twenty-first century, surely we can solve our problems without killing each other."
I didn't respond, and, soon enough, Emaire seemed to understand that this line of conversation was over. We were silent for a few more minutes, taking in the gorgeous spring day from the top of the mountain. I was determined to soak everything up for all it was worth.
"We should head down eventually" I said after a while as I heard my stomach growl. "I'm getting hungry."
Emaire giggled playfully. "Yes, we really should. I had such a wonderful time with you today, Eliot; we should do this more often."
"Agreed." Now that I knew how it felt to have a day off, I was tempted just to skip every day and do this with the love of my life instead. Although no one could stop me from doing so, I knew this would be inadvisable; besides, if I did this every day, would it really be so special?
A few minutes later, Emaire and I stood up from the grassy summit and began making our way back down the mountain. It wouldn't take as long as the journey upward, but the views were just as stunning; the icy blue lake, for one, shone brightly in the late morning light.
Every step, far from tiring me out, made me feel more invigorated. I could have done this all day, every day, for the rest of my life. I was just considering how hard it would be to climb the mountain again today when all thought about this was suddenly ground to a screeching halt.
"Eliot, do you see that?"
Emaire pointed to a Bellossom in the middle of the bushes. I didn't think much of it; the music being played was beautiful, almost beautiful enough to make me feel very, very sleepy.
"What's wrong, Emaire? It's just a Bellossom!"
And then I realized that there was fear in her voice, and that led me to another epiphany: I'd never seen a Pokemon of that species anywhere near Lycan Hollow. In the midst of the gorgeous day, I'd been willing to overlook that simple truth, but…
"You do realize that it could be a Zoroark in disguise, right?" she asked me, her eyes wide with dismay. "If so, that means they're this close to reaching the village and mounting an invasion. They could just use their powers…".
How did I not figure this out? I should slap myself right between the eyes, because that's something I should have known, or at least been able to assume, as a result of being Mayor! But I didn't, because I'm an idiot.
"...to pretend to be other Pokemon! It's right in the name, after all: The Illusionary!"
"Ah, yes, fresh blood!"
That wasn't me uttering those words, nor could it be Emaire. The voice was far too mischievous to be hers.
There was a flash of light, and then the Bellossom was replaced by a tall, dark gray Pokemon with a dark red ponytail behind his head. His teal eyes glinted with a look of intense, burning indifference: He did not care what happened to either of us.
I normally thought of Emaire as a dignified, proper lady, but she was well within her right to do what she did right then and there: She screamed.
"HELP!" she yelled, clearly hoping against hope that someone would come to save her. Of course, no help would be forthcoming; we were far too high on the mountain for any of the villagers to hear us, and even if they did, nobody would arrive in time to save us.
We were on our own.
The Zoroark charged into Emaire, pinning her down, fangs at the ready. And I knew, right in that instant, what was going to happen if I didn't do something.
Emaire was going to be mauled by this Zoroark. She wasn't exactly a weakling, but she also didn't know how to fight. She was much too kind, and this was a time to be ruthless.
I couldn't just stand there. I used my right paw to slap the Zoroark upside the head, though I had to jump to do so.
I must have hit him pretty hard, because one of his fangs fell out. That was the good news. The bad news was that said fang fell towards Emaire's body and embedded itself in her chest.
How much damage can a little fang like that do? Surely not much, right? RIGHT?
No matter how little the fallen fang might hurt Emaire, I was even more furious than I had been before. I lashed out further, managing to push the Zoroark onto his back.
He landed hard on the ground, but not hard enough; his ponytail seemed to cushion his fall, at least to some degree. Still, he seemed a bit dazed from the impact.
I wasted no time trying to find a good spot to bite him, but this Zoroark was nothing if not quick. I felt one of his claws scrape me in the shoulder, which shouldn't have been that bad an injury. If I rolled over and died because of it, I would be forever remembered as one of the greatest wimps in history.
"Yow!" I couldn't help but exclaim as the claws pierced my fur. The wound might have been superficial, but that didn't stop my vision from clouding up with pain. Those claws must have been sharper than I'd thought.
The fight didn't last too long. Once I'd given the Zoroark another good smack, he retreated, holding his arms up like a suspect being apprehended by the police. However, I will never forget the last words he said to me.
"Your lover's a goner, you know" the Zoroark sneered rather drunkenly. "And company will be arriving soon!"
My heart stopped as I glanced back over at Emaire. Come to think of it, during our brief battle, I hadn't seen her fight at all once the fang had stabbed her in the chest.
It's just a flesh wound, though, isn't it? There's no reason why it should be too serious. She's going to be fine; we'll get it bandaged up if necessary, and then we'll go right back to our regular lives in Lycan Hollow.
To my shock, Emaire's normally-white chest fur was now roughly the same color as her magenta head. Pink usually came as a result of mixing white with a certain other color, and anyone who's taken even an elementary-school art class will know what that other color is.
"Emaire, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed unnecessarily. "We need to stop it!"
Her eyes had been closed, but they fluttered open at the sound of my voice. "There's…no…point. Zoroark fangs…do you remember?"
Too late, I remembered something I'd read about Zoroark fangs. Had I fought smarter, as opposed to harder, I might have been able to avert this disaster.
The fangs of a Zoroark were highly poisonous, and were known to cause a copious amount of bleeding, both external and internal. Most of them didn't bite often, but if you were bitten by one far from a hospital, you might as well consider yourself done for.
"Don't talk like that, Emaire" I insisted. "We'll get you to the village hospital. We'll get you fixed up. And then this will all be a bad memory."
I might not have had much medical training, but I did know how to check someone's pulse. When I felt Emaire's neck, her heartbeat was rather erratic, probably because she was losing a lot of blood.
Someone who was thinking rationally might have just left her there to die, knowing that it was pretty hopeless. Love, however, often causes one to behave in an otherwise irrational manner. Both people and Pokemon would move mountains, or at least try to, in order to save their loved ones.
I know Atlas wasn't a good guy. But if he held up the sky, I'm sure I can do this. I'll have to be careful, though, so as not to hurt her further.
"I'm going to carry you to the village, Emaire. Are you okay with that?"
She didn't respond. Again, if I'd been in my right mind, I would likely have just left her there. But when you care about someone as much as I cared about her, you're not going to give up that easily.
Carrying Emaire down the mountain wasn't easy. She might have been lighter than I was, but it was still a burden on my shoulders, even if I wouldn't have wanted to see her as a burden.
The views of the wildflowers and the lake weren't as gorgeous than they'd been before; it was as though all the colors had been drained out of the natural environment, to be replaced with the grim determination that I would not let her die on me. My life would be one hundred percent unlivable if I allowed that to happen.
On the way down, I did my best to staunch the bleeding from Emaire's chest. It was rather difficult to do so while keeping a sure footing on the mountain, but I had no other option if I wanted her to live.
Despite all my best efforts, everything came crashing down when my claw hit a rock near the bottom of the mountain. I had been doing so well up to this point, or so I thought, but as I tripped over this rock, something I should have noticed quite easily, I dropped Emaire.
I rolled down the hill for about fifteen feet, grimacing with each roll. Every hit felt like it was adding insult to injury. Once I had stopped rolling, I looked back up to see Emaire's still-unconscious body lying on the hard ground.
Hot, steaming guilt rose up in my chest as I got back to my feet. I dashed back up to her side, putting a paw against her neck in order to feel her pulse.
There was none.
As embarrassing as it is to admit this, my first reaction was not to attempt CPR. I didn't know how to do it without hurting her further; plenty more blood would be pumped out through her chest if her heart restarted.
At that moment, I knew the truth. It was a very difficult truth to accept, but it does no good to dwell on dreams and forget to live. And yet, this all felt like a bad dream.
This can't be real. I refuse to accept that she's…gone. I don't want to say the 'D' word!
As horrendous as this realization was, there was another truth that shook me even more. I didn't know if it was possible to make me feel worse as I looked over Emaire's broken body, but there didn't seem to be any way around this.
If I had been smarter about the way I attacked the Zoroark, his fang would not have stabbed Emaire in the chest. She'd still be alive.
This is all my fault!